Saturday, March 5, 2011

"As Duke spars with the federal agency that protects the endangered shortnose sturgeon, millions of dollars in conservation and recreation benefits promised in the new license are on hold. Groups that negotiated those terms, and recently South Carolina's entire congressional delegation, are urging federal officials to fish or cut bait."

Friday, March 4, 2011

"The latest in a series of Tega Cay wastewater overflows shouldn’t impact next month’s decision on whether the company responsible should be allowed to continue operations within the city, one company official said.

Patrick Flynn, regional director for Carolina Water Service, said Thursday morning that a sewage spill in Tega Cay March 1 didn’t reach Lake Wylie, and was cleaned on-site at the Tega Cay Water Service plant where it occurred. Tega Cay Water Service and Carolina Water Service, which also services the Lake Wylie area, are subsidiaries of Utilities, Inc.

“It was less than 100 gallons, estimated,” Flynn said. “It did not reach a body of water.”"

The PowerBuoy was deployed on December 14, 2009 off the coast of Oahu in water depth of 100 feet. The PowerBuoy has operated and produced power from over 3 million power take-off cycles and 4,400 hours of operation and is about 150 feet in length although most of the buoy is underwater. It can generate a peak of 150 kilowatts of power and feed the grid in waves between 4.9 feet and 22.9 feet.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

"'The operator noticed nothing was coming into the plant, so that immediately gave them the indication that something is wrong within the collection system,' said DHEC spokesman Thom Berry.

That something was a huge grease clog inside a main sewage line that dumps raw sewage into the treatment plant. Instead, that sewage went right into stoops creek, which dumps right into the Congaree River.

DHEC says one possibility they're investigating is that rain water washed down grease balls from residential drains, which collected in the main line all at once. 'Another thing that we look at is, could this have been something that was deliberately put into the line,' said Berry.

Investigators say the amount of grease it would take to clog such a large large line makes them suspicious. 'We've had situations in parts of the state over time where grease haulers, or septic tank haulers who didn't want to pay to have the waste properly treated, may open up a manhole cover somewhere and empty their tank just by putting their line into that manhole and pumping out,' said Berry."

Published: March 3, 2011

"The documents show that the agency dropped plans to study radioactivity in drilling wastewater being discharged by treatment plants into rivers upstream from drinking water intake plants. And in Congress, members from drilling states like Oklahoma have pressured the agency to keep the focus of the new study narrow.

They have been helped in their lobbying efforts by a compelling storyline: Cutting red tape helps these energy companies reduce the nation’s dependence on other countries for fuel. Natural gas is also a cleaner-burning alternative to coal and plentiful within United States borders, so it can create jobs."

The Greenville News reported Sunday that the city is talking with corporate giant General Electric Co. about electric car fleets, hybrid water heaters, LED lights and downtown upgrades as part of an energy sustainability project.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Pubic Staff of the N.C. Utilities Commission says in a regulatory filing made today that Duke acknowledges it has “been in communication with Santee.” Santee Cooper has announced it would like to sell at least a portion of its 45% share in the $9.1 billion project. Scana owns the remaining 55%.

The staff sounded Duke out about its interest in the Summer plant as Duke has asked the commission for permission to spend $287 million more on planning for its own proposed 2,234-megawatt Lee Nuclear Station. Duke has already spent about $172 million on planning for that plant.

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SC Utility News Digest is an information service for friends and clients of Charles Terreni, of theTerreni Law Firm, LLC. 1508 Lady St., Columbia, South Carolina, These materials have been prepared for informational purposes only. They are not legal advice. This information is not intended to and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Please contact Charlie Terreni if you have questions or concerns.